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Program
GENEVA SUMMIT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, TOLERANCE AND DEMOCRACY
Geneva, 19 April 2009
Combating racism and repression toward a culture of human rights
Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
and of the Genocide Convention
8:30 - 9:30
Registration / Coffee
9:30 - 9:45
Welcome by Conference Chair
Nazanin Afshin-Jam, President of Stop Child Executions
Nazanin Afshin-Jam, President of Stop Child Executions
VIDEO: part I - part II - part III
9:45 - 11:15
"Racism, Genocide, and Crimes Against Humanity: Assessing the Genocide Convention After 60 Years" Genocide Convention
- Irwin Cotler, Counsel for genocide victims and dissidents, Canadian MP [Click for video: part I- partII]
- Ester Murawajo, Tutsi survivor, founder of AVEGA [click for video: part I - part II - part III ]
- Dominique Sopo, President of SOS Racisme [click for video: part I - part II ]
- Gibreil Hamid, President, Darfur Peace and Development Center [click for video: part I - part II]
11:15 - 12:45
"Resisting Authoritarianism: Human Rights, Democracy and the Dissident Movement"
- UDHR Art. 3: Right to life, liberty and security of person
- UDHR Art. 9: Right to be free from arbitrary arrest
- UDHR Art. 20: Right to peaceful assembly
VIDEO: Part I - Part II - Part III - Part IV - Part V - Part VI - Part VII
- Moderator:Ellen Bork, Senior Program Manager for Human Rights, Freedom House
- Soe Aung, Burmese dissident [ Click for Video]
- Saad Eddin Ibrahim, Egyptian dissident [Click for video]
- José Gabriel Ramon Castillo, Cuban Dissident and Prisoner of Conscience [Click for video]
- Marlon Zakeyo, Zimbabwe human rights Activist [Click for video: Part I - Part II ]
- Gonzalo Himiob Santome, Venezuelan Criminology, Victimology and Criminal Law Professor, writer and lecturer on Human Rights issues [Click for video: Part I - Part II]
12:45 - 14:30
Lunch and NGO Networking
14:30 - 15:30
Torture and Cruel and Inhuman Treatment
- UDHR Art. 5: Right to be free from torture and cruel or inhuman treatment
- Moderator: Maran Turner, Executive Director of Freedom Now
- Ahmad Batebi, Iranian dissident [Click for video: part I - part II]
- Parvez Sharma, Producer of the documentary "Jihad for Love"
- Dr. Ashraf El Hagog, Victim of Libyan torture and discrimination [Click for video: part I - part II]
- Kristiyna Valcheva, Bulgarian nurse, victim of Libyan torture and discrimination [click for video]
- Liesbeth Zegveld, Professor of international humanitarian law at Leiden University, partner at law firm of Böhler Franken Koppe Wijngaarden
15:30 - 16:30
Bloggers for Freedom and the Internet's New Frontiers: Defending Democracy in Cyberspace
- Bart Woord, Secretary General of IFLRY
- Esra'a Al Shafei, Dissident blogger, director of MideastYouth.com, winner of Harvard University 2008 Berkman Award for Internet Innovation
- Pavel Marozau, Belorussian cyber activist and human rights defender, member of the Belorussan Peoples Republic (RADA) in exile
16:30 - 18:00
Freedom of Expression and "Defamation of Religion"
- UDHR Art. 18: Right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion
- UDHR Art. 19: Right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Moderator: Angela Wu, International Law Director, the Becket Fund
- Mohamed Sifaoui, Anti-racism activist, journalist, writer and director [Click for video: Part I - Part II]
- Floyd Abrams, U.S. advocate for First Amendment press freedom [Click for video]
- Patrick Gaubert, President of LICRA and Member of the European Parliament
- Brett Schaeffer, Heritage Foundation
- Caroline Fourest, French Journalist [Click for video: Part I - Part II ]
18:00 - 18:15
Remarks
- Francois Zimeray, French Human Rights Ambassador [Click for video: Part I - Part II - Part III]
- Amb Alfred Moses, Chair, UN Watch [Click for video]
18:15 – 18:30
Conference Declaration